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Above knee, India gone!

REUTERS/AFP, New Delhi
A disgusted Indian media on Monday attributed the 10-wicket humiliation by the West Indies in the Barbados Test on knee problems -the inability of the batsmen to counter balls bouncing above kneelevel.
"Harsh but true, the defeat was caused by the old Indian failing to deal with the ball once it threatens to rise above the knee," the Hindu newspaper lamented.
"The meek surrender shall remain one of the dark spots of Indian cricket for long."
Having grown on slow, dead wickets at home where bowlers develop sore backs trying to make the ball rise at all, the Indian batsmen suffer nightmares when they encounter lively turfs abroad.
No wonder, India has not won a Test series outside the subconti-
nent in 16 years, the worst record by any team except newcomers Bangladesh.
That Sourav Ganguly's men will surrender the Barbados Test was evident on the first day itself when they were shot out for 102 after being sent to bat on a hard wicket that afforded some bounce to the West Indian bowlers.
The performance, described by legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar as "spineless", undid the good work of winning the previous Test at Port-of-Spain.
With the five-match series tied 11, there are fears that India's dismal away record could continue for some more time, especially if the wickets for the remaining two Tests at Antigua and Jamaica assist the fast bowlers.
"Don't be surprised if instructions have gone out to the curators at Antigua and Jamaica to prepare similar kind of pitches," Gavaskar wrote.
"The team management will
have to find the answers very quickly or it could well be another failed overseas venture for India."
Gavaskar also cautioned master batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who managed only 0, 0, 8 in the last three innings after equalling the great Don Bradman's record of 29 Test centuries in the first innings of the second Test.
Tendulkar has become more vulnerable to falling leg before because of a technical flaw that has crept into his batting, Gavaskar warned.
The leading India batsman has been dismissed lbw four times in five innings in the current Test series in West Indies.
"Tendulkar was trapped leg before wicket...what is of concern is that he is playing across the line so much," former India skipper Gavaskar wrote in a column in the Hindustan Times. "Even during the century innings, he was wrapped on the pads often and was lucky to get away with a couple of appeals.''